Kaze x Corrin
by Evylene
Summary: Takes place a year after Revelations. A band of assassins have been hired to kill the three main rulers. Xander of Nohr, Ryoma of Hoshido, and Corrin of Valla. Fire Emblem Fates Spoilers. Nothing belongs to me. The cover image is drawn by the awesome Sonatine! Please check her out if you are looking to commission some artwork! It's not letting me put a link in the description.
1. Chapter 1

Trees loom over us as in this forest clearing. This lady wears a blank look on her pale face. Her black shoulder length hair is a contrast to her deathly pale skin. Interestingly, she wears armor similar to Queen Arte, but it's not her. I charge at the woman wielding a sword. I'm separated from the main body of the army, but I figure that taking down a single soldier would be simple. I swing the Yato down. She parries though and brings the hilt of her sword down onto the hand that held Yato. My hand goes numb, and I drop my blade.

"What?" I gasp and her arm wraps around mine as her grip settles at my elbow. Turning with enough momentum, she throws me to the ground over her shoulder. I was careless! I land on my side with the wind knocked out of me. I hastily try to regain my breath, but she removes the armor from my right arm.

"Kinda useless without a weapon aren't ya?" Her sinister voice makes me freeze. Bending my arm over her knee, she snaps it hard. My elbow cracks as it bends backward as something pierces my skin from within. What the hell?! My bone's jutting out from my arm! I shriek in pain and struggle in her grip.

"It hurts! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!" I cry out as tears well in my eyes.

"We aren't finished yet!" Rolling me onto my back, she removes my stomach armor and slits into my abdomen with her sword. I squirm from the pain, but she just cackles. "You will be torn open from this crack on your belly! You'll suffer immense pain unlike anything before!"

My eyes go wide with horror, but it's too late. Her fingers are already tearing at my stomach and digging into my entrails.

"Stop it! Ah, it hurts! Stop! Kaze!" I scream and sob for him harder than ever before. I feel a sharp pain down below as the woman tugs and rips flesh from within. Nothing can feel worse than the agony I feel at this moment. She's really digging into my insides! I can't even put up a struggle as my brain feels like it will explode from all the nerves signaling how much it hurts! Why is this happening to me?! I wish I could force myself to lose consciousness, but I'm not that strong willed. Any terrifying nightmare would be better than the reality that is happening now. Interestingly, her hands aren't moving that fast. They are moving slowly as if performing a delicate procedure. I feel another tear inside of me. I want to scream, but I can only let out a choke. I can feel the tears falling down my face as I cry silently. The stench of blood is overwhelmingly metallic smelling. It feels like an eternity and no one is coming to help me. My torturer is taking her time and savoring my torment the whole while.

The pain dulls though as her hands leave my body. I feel her hands on my face. They're caked in something warm and sticky. It's my blood. I feel her tracing something on my forehead. My torturer stands with a satisfied grin on her face. She leaves my line of sight, but I can still hear her. I can hear her heavy footsteps fading away as she leaves. I hear something wet being dropped on the ground. Did she take something from me? I suppose she's going to leave me to die. Here alone, my body feels frozen. I'm so cold. I don't want to die here. Memories from my life whiz by me, but everything slows as I remember the time Kaze and I first met. It's quite funny that we met because I almost killed him back in Nohr. I refused to kill him though and spared him his life. I almost paid for it with mine, but it was worth it. As I'm lying here though, I swear I see him leaning over me.

I mutter, "K-Kaze…"

The battle ended, but I can't find her anywhere. Where is Corrin? Where is my wife?! I'm frantically looking around when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn around come face to face with my brother, Saizo. Even with his mask on, I can tell it isn't good news. His face is pale and stoic.

"Brother, I found Corrin. I can't move her though." His voice is grave as he speaks. "It…it's not good. Come see for yourself."

He takes off right away, and I frantically run after him. The aches from my muscles disappear as a rush of adrenaline overtakes me. The bruises and cuts on my body are mundane. My heart just keeps racing faster. All I can hope for is that it isn't that bad. Perhaps my brother is mistaken. When we reach her, my hopes are gutted and tossed aside.

Corrin is on the ground. Her skin is deathly pale, and her whole front side is covered in blood. It's all her blood. A bone is jutting out from her right arm under her elbow. I run to her side and lean over her. Tears are still falling from her eyes. Above though on her forehead, is a bird drawn in blood that I assume is Corrin's. When my eyes reach her stomach, my blood runs ice cold. There is a giant hole in her stomach that exposes her insides. I want to scream, but I can't. It's too horrible! I lurch and I vomit beside her. The stomach acid burns my throat. When I look back up, further ahead is a mass of flesh. I can't tell what it was, but it was torn out of my wife. I want it all to be a simple bad dream, but it is reality and nothing can change this grisly scene.

I quckly dig out an elixir and prop her head up.

"Please drink this, Corrin." I urge her. Will this even work? If it doesn't, then that means I can't do anything for her! I hold it up to her lips and slowly let it flow into her mouth. I feel her throat to check for signs of swallowing. I hold my breath and then,

"K-Kaze…" she breathes. Her eyes are still half closed, but she's alive! Her complexion starts to show some color, but if the wound is not taken care of immediately, her condition will start to deteriorate again. We need a healer. All of them are at the clearing, but we're still a way in. Wait! I hear footsteps behind me!

"Don't worry my love. If I have to I will die to protect you! I won't let anyone take you from me! You're going to be alright!"

I am ready, but as I turn, I see that Saizo, Sakura, Jakob, Felicia, Elise, and Azura are all running towards us. Healers!

"Please help her!" I plead, "There's nothing more I can do!"

Sakura and Elise burst into tears upon seeing the horrific state Corrin is in. Azura screams and collapses as Jakob tries to support her. Felicia silently cries to herself, but quickly regains enough of her composure to speak through her tears. I cradle Corrin's head in my lap and pray to the gods for a miracle.

"Well, I'm not sure what we can do, but we'll try to help. Okay everyone, let's try it." The healers all bring up their rods, and the rods start glowing. Nothing is happening though. Why is nothing happening?! She is unconscious and her condition isn't changing.

I shout, "Corrin! Hang in there! Please stay alive for me!"

Off to the side, Azura says, "Corrin, you can pull through. I know you can!"

"Please be okay Corrin. Don't leave me already." I mutter as tears fall from my eyes. They fall onto her face and mix with her blood.

Jakob exclaims, "How cruel that someone could do this to her. Kaze, were you here when this happened?"

"No, I wasn't." If I were there with her, then this never would have happened. I only have myself to blame. My heart feels broken as I look at her.

"Hey, it's working! The wound is closing up," Elise says.

I look up from her face and toward her abdomen. Surely, the gaping hole in her stomach is starting to close. "Oh gods! Please live, Corrin. I'm right here beside you." Seconds feel like hours as the healing process takes place. How long is this taking? I say through my tears, "How long should this take?"

Elise answers, "Well, it was a large external wound along with the internal wounds, so it will take some time. I would give it a couple more minutes. She's gonna need treatment though."

The crevice in her stomach finally closes up after around five minutes. Jakob, Felicia, Elise, and Sakura, drained, collapse on the ground. I guess it must have taken everything they had to heal something of that magnitude. A large puffy scar is left in its place, but that doesn't matter. She is still caked in blood, but she won't lose anymore.

"Hey K-Kaze, I think she's stable enough to take back to Fort Jinya," Sakura says through her tears. The others continue to converse but they all sound far away.

I don't take my eyes off of Corrin, but I say, "Thank you everyone."

I pick her up in my arms and run through the forest into the clearing. Everything is a blur. Xander and Ryoma approach me, but I ignore them. I have to get her back to Fort Jinya so she receives thorough medical attention. I don't care if she's stable. She needs help now! Why can't I do anything more? Why wasn't I there to protect her when she needed me? Why did she have to suffer like this?!


	2. Chapter 2

The smell of flowers overwhelms me, but it allows me to feel peaceful for once. Have I died? I don't know. Laying down in the field of flowers, it feels like I'm sinking down into something incredibly soft. I close my eyes. Kaze sometimes picked flowers and brought them for me to express his affection. Of course they would always wilt, but that never stopped him from picking more. I never knew where he picked the flowers, but they were always beautiful orchids.

Wait, what am I doing here? What happened? Upon opening my eyes, I see a red sky. I stand up and look around me. All the flowers have wilted and decayed into the earth. All of a sudden, everything comes rushing back at me. I was attacked, and I was tortured. I'm not dead though. Kaze came to save me. He gave me something to drink, and that's the last thing I remember.

Then what is this place? I hear footsteps behind me and turn around. There's no one. I hear them again and turn around. There's no one again.

"Show yourself!" Nobody appears. Is this just in my imagination? Perhaps it's an invisible enemy? We did face those sorts of foes before when Anankos terrorized the world.

I let out a deep sigh, but then I feel a sharp pain in my stomach. I look down and see that it's bleeding. Why am I bleeding? Then right before my eyes, my stomach is tearing itself apart. I fall to the ground and writhe in pain and scream. What's happening to me?! The scent of blood fills my nostrils as the feeling of invisible claws tears apart my stomach from the inside. The taste of blood fills my mouth as I cough it up. I'm writhing with my back arched from the pain. I have to cough again, but it's getting caught in my throat! I'm choking! Pushing through the pain, I roll over to my left side and hack. My airway is clear enough to scream for help!

"It hurts! Someone, help me!" I plead!

"Corrin! Wake up! Wake up, Corrin!" A voice is yelling at me to wake up. I want so desperately for this to be a mere nightmare, but I'm not waking up!

I scream, "Help me please! Someone help me!"

"Wake up Corrin!" I yell to her. Is she having a nightmare? She's been asleep for four days, but all of a sudden, she started thrashing about and screaming in her sleep. I'm holding her down to prevent her from opening her wounds, but I need her to wake up! I place a hand on her forehead and begin stroking her hair gently to hopefully soothe her in her sleep.

"Hush. It's ok. You're safe! You're safe love!" What if she breaks another bone? What if her wounds reopen? I don't want her to be in anymore pain as it is. Her body has suffered enough damage already. I'm wracking my brain for ideas of how to help her when all of a sudden, her eyes fly open! Oh gods she's awake!

"Corrin! Corrin, it's me!" I'm leaning over her so she can see, but she doesn't give the friendliest greeting. She punches me square in the jaw!

"Ah! Stay away!"

"Gah! Corrin, it's just me! It's Kaze!" I'm still reeling a bit, but it brings a smile to my face. Not only is she awake, but she seems to still having some fight left in her.

She sobs, "Kaze! Kaze! Kaze, I was terrified! I couldn't breathe! I was being ripped apart! I… I"

I reach out to her and pull her tight against my chest. My poor wife's face is flushed and she's hyperventilating. She wails into my chest uncontrollably. I would be too if the last thing I remember was getting pulled apart. "You're safe now dear. Are you ok? Are you in any pain?" My face is probably wrought with worry.

She gulps for air and stammers, "I-I think I'm ok. Where are we?"

"We're in the castle in the Astral Plain. Recognize your old room? I figured this would be the safest place to take you."

She lifts up her nightgown and inspects her stomach. "Oh my gods! This really happened?!"

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't there to protect you from harm dear. Unfortunately you sustained some critical injuries, but we managed to nurse you back to a stable condition." My face is downcast, but I have to deliver the news somehow. "Listen. I know this is a lot to take in, but there is something else you need to know." I take a deep breath. I'm not ready to tell her this, but I speak, "When you were assaulted, they performed a rather crude, but complete hysterectomy. I'm afraid all your reproductive organs are gone. Medics examined a mass of flesh that was torn out of you and left on the ground. They determined it was your reproductive organs."

"That's what all that tearing was?! Oh gods, I'm gonna be sick…" Her face grows pale. She curls into a ball and covers her head with her hands.

"Corrin, are you ok?" It's hard despite the fact we already have two children, Midori and Kana, but I suppose the hope for anymore is gone. Maybe I shouldn't have told her when she was still in such a fragile state. Still, I would have had to tell her eventually.

"I'll be ok." She sits up and looks at me. "Why are you in your armor?"

"Oh, I just wanted to be prepared in case anyone tried to attack. I know that the Astral Plain is quite safe now, but after what happened," my voice trails off. After what happened, I can't afford to be too careful. Another mistake could kill her.

She bursts into fresh tears and screams, "Why?! Why did this have to happen to me?!"

I have no idea how to respond to that. All I can ask is, "Corrin, can I lay down with you? I want to offer you some comfort."

I remove my hard plated armor as she scoots over to make room on the bed. I lie down next to her and take her in my arms. Laying her head on my chest, she lets out a relaxed sigh. I stroke her hair, her cheeks, and her shoulders. I want her to feel safe and taken care of right now. She's been through such terrible things.

She mutters, "Your hands are so gentle. It's not like when…when she… Oh gods, no!"

"It's all over dear. We'll all find out who did this. Then we'll put an end to them so nobody else suffers from their hand."

She lets out a sigh. "Yeah, let's do that."

"For now, just relax. I brought some ointment I made that I can rub on your scar if you want. It'll help the inflammation."

I'm laying here while Kaze attends to my stomach. Scooping out a finger full of the ointment, he rubs it between his fingers before gently rubbing it into skin. It's chilly at first, but it warms quickly. Although his hands are calloused from countless battles, he uses them for delicate work as well. It makes me wonder, will there be a day when we don't have to fight anymore? I know that as royalty, we could just let our army do it. What kind of rulers would we be though? I don't want to hide away and let someone else fight my battles to attain peace. I'm happy to be on the front lines with my old friends, but after what happened, my feelings are split. Part of me just wants to live out the rest of my life conflict free with Kaze.

"Kaze, do you want to keep fighting?" I might as well ask him, but I have a feeling I know the answer already.

"Against this force? Yes. I want to keep fighting. I want to fight especially after what they did to you." His hands stop and he looks at me. "Do you want to stop? Considering what happened to you, it's absolutely understandable."

"I don't know. I really just want to live out the rest of our days peacefully. What kind of Queen would I be then?"

"I don't think the residents of Valla would look down on you for it." He pecks me on the lips. "You have to recuperate anyway. Try not to think about it too hard, okay?"

I yawn, "Okay." I then remember something. I was in my armor when I was assaulted. I'm in a night gown now. I know it's a little trivial, but who changed me?! Was it Jakob? I hope it wasn't Jakob. I guess I'd be ok with Elise, Sakura, or Azura changing me since we are all women. Okay this is bothering me too much. I have to know now!

"You look panicked. Is everything okay?" Kaze's looking right at me.

"Uh kinda." I gulp. "Okay so there's something I absolutely must know Kaze. I hope you can answer because this is unbearable."

"Yes, of course dear." He nods in response.

"Who changed me into this nightgown?! Was it Jakob? I hope it wasn't Jakob! I don't want him to see everything!" I ramble on, "It's ok if it was one of the girls though because we're all female, but it wasn't Jakob right?!"

He looks taken aback for a second, but then he bursts out laughing. He smiles gently at me though. "Don't worry. I was the one who changed you. I'm sure that's okay since I've already seen everything." He winks

I blush and let out a relieved sigh. "Okay. That's okay then."

He stands up. He must be finished with my stomach. Slipping his armor on, he smiles and says he'll be back. Where's he going? I'm sure it's nothing. I flip on my side and drift off to sleep.

When I exit, I see Saizo and Kagero waiting for me. Kagero asks, "How is she? I'll admit that I eavesdropped and heard she was worried about who changed her."

I laugh at this. I'm not surprised since we ninja are used to using such tactics to gather information. I respond, "She's doing well so far. I put some ointment on her scar to help with inflammation." I furrow my brow. "Corrin was screaming earlier in her sleep so I'm afraid she might be plagued with nightmares. I'm wondering if a mage could fix that. I heard Odin was skilled enough to help Selena out with her nightmares. I don't know where he is though."

Kagero's face falls downcast as she speaks. "How did she react to the news of the hysterectomy?"

"She almost vomited at the news, but oddly, she doesn't appear too distraught over it now. Maybe she's having trouble processing it. I feel I should have waited to tell her, but I knew she'd have to know eventually."

Kagero nods slowly. "That's understandable. Don't doubt yourself though. I'm sure it wouldn't have made a difference if you waited to tell her."

Saizo breaks his silence. "Personally, if I was in your situation with Kagero, I'd tell her right away too. It's something she needs to know right away."

"That's right. Don't feel guilty."

I nod. "Alright, enough of this. Has any new information about these people been obtained?"

"Well, not too surprisingly it appears they are Norhian based, but they have Hoshidans among their ranks as well. More specifically, it seems the Hoshidans that joined were Mokushujin ninja," Saizo informs me.

Kagero gives her insight. "I'm not surprised that Mokushu has allied with this force. They are always looking to expand their territory. Last I checked, they weren't too happy with any of the rulers either."

"Other than that, nothing else could be found," Saizo concludes.

"Understood. Well, at least we have a place to start looking."

Suddenly, I hear a blood curdling scream. Corrin! I rush back into our quarters!

Corrin's on the floor with her back is arched as blood flows out from out from her mouth. She's in convulsions as if hit by electricity. What's happening?! There's no time to think! I kneel down beside her and grip her upper body in my arms to prop her up. Saizo and Kagero run in then.

"Brother! Please help me!"

"Right!" Saizo and Kagero lift up Corrin's nightgown and hastily examine her stomach.

"Oh Gods," Kagero exclaims! What happened?

"What is it?" I say as Corrin continues to convulse in my arms.

"Kaze, look!"

What I see is a freshly opened wound that's gushing blood! How is this possible?! It was healed! There was a scar! It's open and killing her! Despite that, an external wound would not be enough to cause her to cough up blood. There must be internal hemorrhaging as well!

I call to Kagero, "Please get a healer! Jakob and Felicia are in their quarters here."

"Understood!" She rushes out the door.

As I did before, I take out an elixir and slowly pour it into her mouth and close her mouth. She has to swallow a little for it to take effect. She stops convulsing and goes limp in my arms. Gods, I hope she's just unconscious! I lay her back down and roll her nightgown all the way up – privacy be damned! I lean down and check for a heartbeat. It's slight, but she's still alive! Still, if her heartbeat is this faint, then we don't have much time. That's when the door slams open. Felicia and Jakob rush in with staves.

"What happened," Jakob asks.

"I don't know! I gave her an elixir to stop her convulsions, but she doesn't have much time left!"

Kagero informs me, "I sent for Lord Leo as well, and he's on his way here."

Kneeling down, Felicia and Jakob both raise up their staves and begin the healing process. Felicia then speaks, "I asked Kagero to contact Lord Leo because I'm concerned Corrin may have been the victim of dark magic."

My eyes widen with shock. "You mean like a curse?"

"Yup, that's right unfortunately."

Jakob chimes in with encouraging words. "Lord Leo is an expert practitioner of dark magic, so if Corrin is cursed, he can break it."

Hesitant, I give way to feeling a little hopeful. She has to make it through this first though. Using the same healing process as before, the reopened wound seals back up again. What about the internal bleeding though? I ask, "Did the healing take care of the internal bleeding?"

Jakob answers, "Yes, the healing will take care of any injuries to the body."

"Ok good." With the healing finished, I pick her up carefully and lay her back down on the bed. She needs a change of clothes since blood is her nightgown. I ask everyone to leave us alone. They all assure me that everything will be ok and that Leo will arrive within a day. Of course I want to believe them when they say it will be ok, but I have too many doubts.

I strip her of her gown and undergarments since those are bloodied as well. Taking a wet washcloth, I start to rub her down. When I rub the newly formed scar, Corrin lets out a groan of pain while still unconscious. I proceed to pat gently around the area, but that doesn't get rid of that awful blood. Well, I guess I'll have to rub really delicately then. I know under normal circumstances, this would be a very erotic thing to do. I'm rubbing down my naked wife, but arousal is the last thing I feel now. Instead, I feel immense guilt.

If I had been with her that day on the battlefield, I could have prevented all of this. I would have protected her with my life, and gladly, I would have given my life to ensure her safety. She would have been able to avoid this entire trauma. She wouldn't have gotten cursed. She wouldn't have felt immense pain a second time. She wouldn't have received a crudely done hysterectomy. How can I not feel guilty knowing I could have prevented it given I had been there? I don't have time to brood over it though. If I do that, then I won't be able to take good care of her now. It's time to quit with these thoughts.

I finish cleaning the blood off of her, and I walk over to the cabinet in the corner of the room. I find another clean nightgown in there and take it. When I turn around, I see Corrin sleeping soundly. It's a relief that she's ok, but I can't let myself relax. Should I wait until she wakes to put the nightgown on? Or should I just do it now? I'll just do it now or else she might be mad when she wakes up and finds herself stark naked. After dressing her in the nightgown, I lie down next to her and drift off to sleep.

A knock wakes me from sleep. It's nighttime. Damn, have I really slept that long? I suppose I haven't been sleeping well lately. There's another knock. "Hold on, I'll be right there," I call out foggy headed.

"Alright," the voice responds. It's a familiar man's voice. It's who we've been waiting for. I open the door and there stands a blonde haired young man. It's Lord Leo of Nohr.

"Lord Leo! Thank you for coming so soon!" I bow deeply to him.

"Of course. I'll do what I can to help." He nods at me but turns his gaze towards Corrin on the bed. He asks me, "Can you wake her please? I need her to be conscious for this."

I crouch down by the bed and place a hand on her shoulder, shaking her gently. "Hey Corrin, wake up," I mutter.

She lets out a groan. "No, five more minutes Kaze… I'm tired."

Leo approaches the bed and sighs heavily. "Wake up Corrin!"

"Ah, Lord Leo, with all due respect, maybe shouting wasn't necessary."

"Sadly we have no time for pleasantries when we are dealing with a possible curse."

Corrin's eyes open slowly, but widen when she sees Lord Leo. She throws his arms around him and exclaims, "Leo! What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help. Surely you've been filled in?"

"Well, you just mentioned I might have been cursed. What do you have to do to determine this?"

Lord Leo takes out a talisman. "These were developed after the war between Hoshido and Nohr ended. They can detect a curse, but can't break it. That's gotta be left up to a professional." He smirks his trademark smirk. Laying the talisman on her chest, he mutters an incantation, and it starts to glow a soft blue.

I inquire, "What's happening to her?"

"It's assessing if there's a curse or not," Leo responds. Spontaneously, the talisman catches on fire! The fire is black, but it's not harming her? Does this mean she is cursed? Leo breaks his silence. "Well, that means a curse is present. The matter of dispelling it is another matter."

Corrin nods. "Understood. What do we have to do?"

"We need to figure out what kind of curse it is. All curses originate in dark magic, but there are variations." He turns to me and asks, "When you found her, was there anything particular about the way she was displayed?"

I really don't want to remember the way I found her. It was such a horrific sight. Her stomach was torn open with her insides exposed. A mass of flesh was set by her. Her skin was deathly pale. But was there anything that indicated a curse? The only thing that comes to mind is the bird drawn in her blood on her forehead. "Lord Leo, when I found her there was a bird on her head drawn in her blood. Does that help?"

"If they drew something in her blood, then it's quite possible. In that case, we are dealing with a Blood Curse. Those require some sacrifice."

Corrin's face grows pale as she asks hesitantly, "What kind of sacrifice?"

I really don't want to know what kind of sacrifice, and I know if the price requires the expense of another, then I don't care if this kills me. I refuse to sacrifice someone else to save my own life. "Leo, what kind of sacrifice?"

"Honestly, I'm not really sure. The only other option is to kill the one who cursed you. That dispels the curse as well," Leo responds.

Kaze turns to me and takes my hand speaking, "Corrin, is there anything you remember about the person who attacked you? Anything will help."

"Kaze, the only thing I remember is that the woman was pale and had dark hair. She wielded a silver sword that one could buy in any armory. That's all I remember. There was nothing significant. I'm sorry I can't say more. I was too busy getting my stomach torn open and my organs ripped out." I'm growing a bit irritated. If anything, I'd love to forget everything that happened to me in the first place and live out the rest of my life peacefully.

A sorrowful look clouds his face. "Corrin…"

"I'm sorry, but the only thing I remember is how much it hurt. I can only remember the pain of her digging inside of me and ripping me apart."

Kaze releases a sigh. "I understand."

"Kaze, help me stand up will you?" I swing my legs over the side of the bed as Kaze bends to wrap his arm around my waist. Slowly, I put weight on one foot and then the other.

"Are you ok Corrin?" Kaze asks.

"Yeah."

Leo says, "Try taking a few steps. Your muscles haven't been worked for a few days."

I step lightly on the wooden floor. My legs feel like jelly and wobble like I'm learning to walk for the first time.

"I'm sure your muscles are stiff. Do you want to head to the hot springs? The warmth will help loosen everything up," Kaze suggests.

"Well, be careful since the curse can strike again at any moment. I'll do some more research on Blood Curses. I'll be around the castle to help in case anything happens." Leo makes his exit, leaving Kaze and I alone.

"Corrin, did you want to go to the hot springs now?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Corrin's POV**

We strip down in separate changing rooms. I exit hesitantly since part of me is feeling self-conscious about the big ugly scar on my abdomen. I know both Kaze and I have numerous battle scars, but he doesn't have anything as big as this. It's trivial, but I wonder if he'll still think I'm beautiful with something like this. Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained, so I step out with a towel wrapped around my naked body.

When I enter into the bathing area, I can through the steam that Kaze is already sitting in the bath leaning against the wall. His eyes are closed with his posture relaxed. I walk over to the edge that he's sitting by. "Um, Kaze?"

"Hm?" He looks right at me and smiles. "So, are you ready to relax? Come sit next to me please."

My cheeks are feeling a bit red, and I clutch the towel tighter to my body. When I look closer, I notice that he's not as stark naked as I thought. What?! I ask, "Kaze, you're wearing shorts?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

My face is feeling hotter by the second, and it isn't the heat. "Um, I'm…not wearing anything."

"Well, that's fine. It's just the two of us." Standing, he strips the towel away from my body. His bare skin is damp, and his green hair is dripping with water. His abdominals and pectorals are well sculpted from ninjutsu training with scars, old and new, decorating his skin.

Conflict is part of both our lives, but he's known it longer than I have. He was serving the Hoshidan royal family already when I was locked up in the Northern Fortress back in Nohr. I don't know why I'm thinking of this when I'm completely naked in front of him.

I must look lost in thought since he asks, "Corrin, are you ok? I guess I can take my shorts off since like I said, it's just the two of us."

"Ok." He steps out from his shorts revealing his well-proportioned assets and sits back down in the water. It leaves me feeling a little dizzy as I sit down next to him. I wrap my arms around my mid-section to hide most of the scar.

Apparently, he can see right through me as he says, "You don't have to feel self-conscious about it you know. You're still a beautiful woman, and I love you the way you are." He gently pulls my arms away and holds my hand. His grip is firm enough to distract me from more self-depreciating thoughts.

I smile a bit. "Thank you Kaze. I love you too." I lay my head on his shoulder and mutter, "How long do you wanna stay in here?"

"I'm not sure. Are you in any pain?"

"Not really. I mean, the pain is there, but it's dull." I look him in the eyes. He's frowning and furrowing his brow. I know he's worried, but what can I say to reassure him? "I'm sure it'll clear up in a few days. Besides, I've received excellent treatment from you. Your knowledge of medicinal herbs really does wonders. So, don't worry so much, okay?"

He lets out a sigh. "My love, you know that's impossible for me because I am always concerned about your well-being."

That is true. Before we were wed, Kaze served as my retainer, and he followed me endlessly to ensure my safety. Interestingly, it was only after he made his pledge to become my retainer, did I notice what a wonderful man he was. When I was about to take a walk one day, he confessed his true feelings for me. I will never forget what he said to me: "My liege, my love, I adore you with all my being. I promise to treasure you forever and to keep you in my heart always." He swore to uphold that vow for the rest of our days, and he's done so. By gods, he's done so.

 **Kaze's POV**

I reach out to her face and stroke her cheek. I find it soft and warm from the steam and continue to caress it. She responds by letting out a relieved sigh. I drape my arm around her shoulders, and we just sit there in silence for a minute. We really don't do this much since we both started to rule Valla together. Of course we see each other often, but having some real quality time together is rare. It hasn't disrupted our marriage, but there are times I wish we could relax together more often.

I'm lost in thought when Corrin calls, "Kaze? What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing. I just wish we could spend more quality time together like this. We're both so busy that we just don't relax much."

She lets out a giggle. "I agree with you there. It looks like it's going to get busier though." She cranes her neck up and her lips brush mine. I return the favor by touching her chin and kiss her a little harder. Her unique taste is wonderful, and it makes me want to taste more of her. She's still recuperating though so it's probably not the best idea to do anything.

When we draw apart, she asks, "What are you so tense for?"

I have to calm myself down. If I don't, then my body will only do the natural thing and respond accordingly. "Oh, well, I don't know."

She brushes her hair back with her fingers and asks in a sultry voice, "Were you perhaps hoping for something?"

My heart is beating out of my chest now, as we're looking intently at each other. What do I do about this?!

"Well, this is entertaining! Mind if I join in?" I hear a familiar man's voice from across the bathing area. Oh gods. It's _him_.

A man with blue eyes, white hair, and tanned skin stands at the opposite end of the bath. He wears a wry smile on his face, but the most distinguishing feature is the eyepatch he wears over his right eye. He's completely naked, but shows no signs of embarrassment.

Corrin screams, "What are you doing here, Niles?!" Flustered, she immediately covers her breasts with her arms and squeezes her legs together.

He chuckles. "Oh, nothing. I just came here to relax. I had no idea I'd get to see the Vallite Queen's wonderful body today. Shall I teach it something good?"

She shrieks louder, "Niles! Have you no shame?!" She snatches her towel from the floor and runs back into the changing room.

I can only say, "Niles, have you taken leave of your senses? Besides, what are you doing here?"

He raises his eyebrows. "Well, it's only natural that if Lord Leo is here, I'm here as well. I am his retainer after all."

"I see." I stand up and put my shorts back on. "I'm taking my leave right now. I need to check on Corrin after you behaved quite crudely towards her. Don't you think she's been through enough?"

He smirks. "Aw, but that flustered look is so wonderful on her. Besides, a little more pain won't kill her."

I can only let out an exasperated sigh. "You're a sick person." I turn and take my leave.


End file.
